Greenpeace reveals the top 5 ‘worst polluting companies’

Over 75% of the 10 000 litres of waste collected during a three-month-long Greenpeace clean-up project was plastic. Almost 65% of branded materials salvaged from North American shores came from the Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, and Nestlé.

Around the globe, 239 individual
clean-up missions and brand audits undertaken in 42 countries on six continents
helped Greenpeace create a detailed ‘waste map’ of ocean litter. This global snapshot reveals that candy wrappers were
the most common item found, followed by polyethylene bottles, throw-away beverage
cups, bottle caps and single-use shopping bags.

The ‘worst offenders’

Globally, the top five ‘worst
polluting companies’ were identified; the Coca-Cola Company was named as the
top polluter, followed by PepsiCo., Nestlé, Danone, and Mondelez
International. In North America, the ‘worst offenders’ are Nestlé, Tim
Hortons, PepsiCo, the Coca-Cola Company and McDonald’s.

Greenpeace
urges that plastic lined coffee and other beverage cups were the third most
common type of plastic item found, with Tim Hortons, McDonald’s and Starbucks
being the main contributors. Starbucks ranked 7th on the branded waste list.

Fighting the tide

The
first brand audit was conducted in the Philippines, says Sarah King, head of
Greenpeace Canada’s oceans and plastics campaign. She was stunned by the rapid
influx of new material, remarking: ‘You do a clean-up one day, and the next day
the beach is filling up with plastic again.’

King
cites market figures predicting that plastic production will increase by 40% in
the next decade. She laments: ‘If this happens the situation is going to get
much worse.’

What can be done?

Nestlé
has responded to the ranking by saying that ‘the real problem’ is improper
disposal of recyclables. The company argues that the results ‘demonstrate
a clear and pressing need for the development of proper infrastructure to
manage waste effectively around the world.’

The brand added that it striving
to make 100% of its packaging reusable or recyclable by 2025. Nestlé says it is
also exploring packaging solutions with its industry partners to reduce plastic
usage and develop new approaches to eliminating plastic waste.

Similarly, PepsiCo comments
that it wants all its packaging to be recyclable, compostable or
biodegradable by 2025, and is also trying to boost recycling rates and reduce
packaging.

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